The Crossing of Two Souls
by pammazola
Summary: A/U One-shot. The path of lovers come together. She is destined for him. He was BORN for her. They would be perfect in every way. Yet, they are complete strangers, an experiment of the fates...


**The Crossing of Two Souls**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.**

_**WARNING:**_** This fic contains minor interactions between an adult and a child that is underage. This form of writing can be described as LOLICON, but it is expressed in a very minimal degree. There is NO SEX in this fic. The setting is in A/U modern, therefore underage sex would be considered ILLEGAL and completely WRONG. Please, keep in mind that this is a work of FICTION. You have been given a notice; please remember this if you choose to review.**

~oOo~

It was on rainy days as this that he would think back to years long ago, and he'd remember her, Rin. That young girl he saw nearly everyday, standing at the bus stop with him, clutching her school books tightly to her chest. He always pretended he never noticed how she stared at him, entranced by the luster silver shine of his hair, or the depths of his amber eyes. At first, it bothered him, typically the coldness of his stoic demeanor repelled most human, but Rin appeared to him like a little lamb, and so she was tolerated.

He did not know how it happened, why that little girl interested him. They were complete strangers, two separate souls crossing paths each day at the same time. It was quite possible he had merely grown accustomed to her company, being near her, and when she was gone… nothing seemed right, and he knew it was going to be a bad day.

Because every morning started with Rin's smile.

And a cup of coffee. Black. But he could occasionally go without that. He liked her smile.

Two years had passed until she finally found the courage to speak to the strange, beautiful man that shared the same bus seat with her. How did that always happen? Coincidence, maybe, everyday they wound up sitting beside one another, but never uttering a word.

Until finally:

"Ano, do you want the window seat?"

They stood together in the aisle, him behind her, towering over the frame of this slim little girl. She looked up at him with shy, wide brown eyes, almost seeming she regretted speaking at all.

At that moment, he decided she was cute.

"…Hai."

And that was it.

But it only grew from there. At the bus stop, where they waited, she said "Good morning" and he would only nod, too busy working from his cell phone to really contribute much to a conversation. Sometimes, when they sat together, her leg would accidently brush his, causing her to blush furiously and stammer an apology. He let the touches pass unacknowledged.

Gradually, he learned her name, Rin. She was eleven years old and attended one of the local elementary schools. Well, he could've guessed that last part from the uniform she wore every time he saw her. It felt odd, for some reason he'd never considered her age before.

Rin warmed to him. How foolish, he thought, she believed she could become friends with a complete stranger, but did nothing to resist her advances. Really, it was only polite exchanges: "How are you?" and his answer of "Hn."

Then, one day, she didn't show.

He did not know why this made him so uneasy. He stood alone at the bus stop, shivering slightly from the cold. No, could it be… he missed her? Ridiculous, Rin probably just went to school a different route, or maybe she had taken a holiday. Many possible scenarios crossed his mind before he mentally cringed and focused all his attention on the cell phone in his hand.

The day after, she was back.

He released the breath he hadn't known he'd been holding as he rounded the corner to see her small, trembling figure wrapped snuggly in her winter coat. Momentarily ignoring the feeling of relief that washed through him, he responded to her usual greeting "Good morning" with a surprising statement of his own, "Indeed, it is."

Something changed between them from that point on. The awkwardness that had previously existed dispersed. Now, he was almost comfortable, sharing a seat with her, carrying on a conversation that was practically effortless. His cell phone never left the inside pocket of his jacket. One of his long legs would brush hers, but neither of them ever noticed.

Two more years passed like this. When Rin started middle school, she practically ran to meet him, so excited for her first day. Mentally, as he nodded to her constant chatter (which he found soothing) he only thought of how glad he was she still took the same route as before.

"Sesshomaru-sama!" she called to him one morning, running full sprint down the sidewalk. He frowned at her rashness. It was pouring rain, yet she did not carry an umbrella, and surely her socks in the shoes she wore were soaked. He made his displeasure known.

"Ano, moushiwake arimasen, Sesshomaru-sama," as she shivered in the downpour.

He sighed, moving closer to bring her under his umbrella, bending down to ensure she was completely beneath it. The wind blew rapidly, nearly drenching them both, but Rin seemed not to mind. The way his black jacket danced around them made her feel safe and secure. She was drawn closer to the warmth of his body.

Knowing he could not pull away without leaving her in the rain, he stiffened at her closeness.

"What do you want?" It came out a little harsher than he'd meant.

A touch of pink tinted her cheeks.

"Se – Sesshomaru-sama…" she whispered, but maintained firm eye contact with him. He admired the amount of courage it must have taken her to say these next words: "Please, will you kiss me?"

Shock was evident on his face, just for a fleeting moment, before he quickly composed himself.

"Rin," his voice colored with disapproval. The scowl on his face deepened when she lightly touched the edges of his jacket.

"It's not what you think!" she insisted hastily, "I… I want to know what it's like."

When he remained as cold as ever, she added:

"There's a boy, at school. He wants to kiss me."

Sesshomaru merely raised an arched brow at that. Did she… like this boy?

"I want to practice."

_That _surprised him. Why on earth would she even _consider _him?

"Silly girl," his tone was unmerciful, "You are thirteen. I am thirty. Enough of this foolishness."

"Please!" she grasped his jacket in small white fists. How hopeless she looked, her long raven hair matted to her neck, glistening from a heavy sheen of rain. The white uniform she wore was drenched to the skin, revealing to him much more of her maturing figure than he would've cared to see. Was this the same little girl he sat on the bus with everyday for four years? Rin was the only person he'd ever somewhat given a damn about. So why was she doing this to him?

But… that sad look on her face… he didn't like how he was the cause of it.

"Rin," he growled.

She tasted nice, extraordinarily pleasant for a ningen. Typically, he hated sugary things, but her sweetness was incredibly enticing, almost to the point he was tempted to lick her lips to find more of the substance. But he was firm, lightly caressing her mouth with his, showing as little intimacy as possible. Her inexperience showed plainly in the way she was stiff, unsure how to respond to him. And her eyes, those deep chocolate irises, were open. Sesshomaru had never kissed anyone who did not close their eyes, and took to looking back, letting his long silver hair fall in curtains around them, blocking out the rest of the world. Her hands, hesitantly, entwined around his neck.

The automatic doors of the bus clattered open to them.

They pulled apart quickly. With all the heavy rain and wind, no one had been able to see anything, aside from that of a darling little girl who shared an umbrella with a kind-hearted businessman.

The silence between them the entire ride was strained. Rin had been astonished he complied with kissing her; he was berating himself for his rashness. _Sesshomaru_, he thought to himself, _so you have a fondness for young girls, no?_ He clutched the fabric of his pants. _Never again_.

"Sesshomaru-sama," Rin said. His head whipped around to see she was standing in the aisle. This was her stop.

"Arigato," she whispered, and quickly left.

And, the shame of it, he didn't want her to go.

In near death experiences, it is commonly stated that the victim's life literally flashes before their eyes. This was quite the reverse. Sesshomaru, as he left the shelter of the bus and into the downpour, reopening the umbrella, his life flashed before his eyes… of what _could _be:

Rin was older, and of legal age. There was nothing restraining about the way he kissed her, passionately, and held her so close that their bodies could've melted together to become a single entity. The scene shifted, and they stood at the alter, reciting vows, gazing into each other's eyes with unconcealed happiness… In his home, no, _their _home, Rin lived with him now. Along with their one year old pup, an adorable boy with those ridiculous floppy ears… they would be expecting another child soon…

Sesshomaru stopped outside the office building, staring at his reflection in the glass doors.

He was decided.

~oOo~

Rin never saw him again.

There were still days when she hoped, with every fiber of her being, that he would be there, like he always had, waiting on her. Sometimes she blamed herself, other times, him for leaving. But really, what was she to Sesshomaru, other than the girl on the bus? The stupid little girl who had a crush on him from the day they'd met. For reasons beyond her, she'd felt this pull towards him, an inexplicable need to see him, at least once a day. And, he had undoubtedly felt it too. It seemed the fates had experimented, crossing two separate souls across the same path, to envision what it would be like, for them to love each other.

It was too late. Where he was now, she'd never know, but every night Rin thought about him, her lost love, as she shifted beside her sleeping husband in the bed they shared. In the next room, their child had awoken, and crying himself silly. She resisted the impulse to go comfort him. It was finally time he learned how to sleep through the night.

And so would she.

**The End**


End file.
